BY Ogbonnia Nwachi.
In the beginning, God created man in His own image and after His own likeness (Imago Dei). Today, man creates God in his own image and after his own likeness. Can you beat that? When HIV/AIDS came, some Pastors interpreted the scourge as a disease 'sent' by God to punish 'sinners'. They forgot that besides sex, HIV/AIDS could also be transmitted through blood tranfusion, use of HIV contaminated syringes and other sharp objects, and that both 'sinners' and 'saints' can become victims by error of omission or commission. As a result, they preached about HIV/AIDS and promoted the stigmatization of victims until the Federal Government came up with massive sensitization of the citizenry and called churches to order.
This time around, it is Ebola. Ebola has landed like a bolt from the blues and these Pastors have come again. Watch their lips and you will agree that they enjoy moments of misfortune. Which god told them that he sent Ebola to deal with the unrighteous? Perhaps, the god they created in their own image and after their own likeness. How many of them are ready to put their life on the line like our medical doctors and nurses? How many of them can volunteer, at their own peril, to attend to Ebola patients like the Sierraleonian young medical doctor, who treated 100 cases and equally lost his own life? Do they now want to tell us they are more righteous than these medical doctors? After the demise of Mr. Patrick Sawyer, the man through whom the 'export' of Ebola from Liberia into Nigeria was accomplished, we have lost a medical doctor and two nurses, who came in contact with him. Others are now quarantined with many others on surveillance. Do these Pastors want to tell us that they are better human beings than these unfortunate victims of the virus? Why all these lies against God? Scientists are spending sleepless nights, researching on possible drugs to tackle this menace and save the entire humanity from becoming endangered species, while some Pastors are busy, lying against God.
Do they think they are safe, assuming Ebola spirals out of control? What they do is what my people usually say about the legendary tortoise; "all its cleverness is to satisfy the 'drumbeats' of its own stomach". These Pastors catch in on crises opportunities such as the Ebola scenario to win more converts and smile to the bank. Ebola, which is the worse health menace in the history of man, has ironically become a blessing to some Pastors. These are Pastors, whose putrified covert actions, smell to high heavens. These are Pastors, whose claims to 'spiritual powers' to perform 'miracles' and pull down mountains, are yet to be demonstrated in the face of Ebola in Africa. We have them all over the place. In Lagos alone, the 'birth' place of Ebola in Nigeria, they are legion, but how many of them had volunteered to visit the patients in their places of quarantine and lay their hands on them or do they think the victims dont need miracles? Prophet T.B. Joshua had tried by exporting thousands of bottles of "holy water" and cash in dollars to Sierraleone for use by Ebola patients.
To him, charity begins abroad. Nonetheless, we are yet to hear of any impact made by his "holy water" in Sierraleone since the export was made. We have heard about the American Zmapp and the one produced by a Nigerian scientist in Diaspora and sent to us as experimental drugs, but "holy water"? No. This is the extend some of our self-acclaimed men of God can ridicule the nation. Dangote has donated about N150m to the fight against Ebola. He is not a Christian. Some of these Pastors, who own fleets of private jets are richer than him. Perhaps, they are still waiting for the god they created in their own image and likeness, to direct. Perhaps, they wont donate to help a 'sinner', ravaged by Ebola. Dont they get sick? They do with their wives and children because they are human beings.
They fly abroad for treatment, but when their members are sick, they pray for them and give them "holy water" to drink. Do you blame them? This is what happens when a congregation had chosen the path of 'zombysm' to please their Pastors. Be that as it may, Pastors are trying. At least, within the period you are held spellbound in their churches by their preachings and near entertaining acrobatic displays on the pulpit, you dance, clap and forget your sorrows like Shina Peters. But they should stop being hypocritical and sanctimonious. Throughout his life and times, Jesus Christ never said any disease was sent by God to punish anybody. He went about, doing good.
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